conditioning

American  

[kuhn-dish-uh-ning] / kənˈdɪʃ ə nɪŋ /

noun

Psychology.

conditionings plural

1. Also called operant conditioning, instrumental conditioning.  a process of changing behavior by rewarding or punishing a subject each time an action is performed until the subject associates the action with pleasure or distress.

2. Also called classical conditioning, Pavlovian conditioning, respondent conditioning.  a process in which a stimulus that was previously neutral, as the sound of a bell, comes to evoke a particular response, as salivation, by being repeatedly paired with another stimulus that normally evokes the response, as the taste of food.

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conditioning British  

/ kənˈdɪʃənɪŋ /

noun

1. psychol the learning process by which the behaviour of an organism becomes dependent on an event occurring in its environment See also classical conditioning instrumental learning

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adjective

1. (of a shampoo, cosmetic, etc) intended to improve the condition of something

   a conditioning rinse

conditioning Scientific  

/ kən-dĭsh′ə-nĭng /

1. See classical conditioning

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-conditioning
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• conditionings
  plural

Etymology

Origin of conditioning

First recorded in 1915–20; condition + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

India’s use of air conditioning is forecast to boom, and economists say adding air conditioning or other cheaper forms of cooling could help Indian manufacturing and other businesses reduce productivity declines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

The temperatures were so hot in France that the lack of air conditioning in many parts of hospitals is posing a health risk.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 6, 2026

However, she said many schools had "poor" ventilation and no air conditioning, so more investment was needed to make buildings safe and suitable in hotter conditions.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026

Public health experts warn that prolonged heat can be especially dangerous because temperatures are expected to remain unusually warm overnight, offering little relief for people without air conditioning.

From Salon • Jul. 3, 2026

Rut wordless conditioning is crude and wholesale; cannot bring home the finer distinctions, cannot inculcate the more complex courses of behaviour.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

Related Words

• assignment
• discipline
• drilling
• homework
• preparation
• repetition
• training
• tryout
• workout